George Gaynes made authority look agreeably uncertain, using a rich baritone and distracted dignity to keep broad comedy human. We value his warmth and timing, even when the writing gives him too little to do.
Fi1m perspective
In Police Academy (1984), George Gaynes makes Commandant Lassard's foolishness a welcome pause in the surrounding commotion. We warmed to him because he seemed so untroubled by his own confusion. The rich baritone helps: it is a reassuring voice for a man who provides little reason to be reassured. Gaynes is good company here, though that is not quite the same as making a thin joke funny.
After years of supporting film and television work, Tootsie (1982) brought him wider recognition as John Van Horn, a lecherous soap-opera veteran. Sydney Pollack gives him a place in an alert supporting cast around Dustin Hoffman. The part puts Gaynes's imposing voice and distracted manner to less innocent use than Lassard's muddle. It also places him in a farce we recommend warmly, with some scepticism about its urge to teach lessons about women.
Hugh Wilson's Police Academy offers more warmth than its crude construction might suggest, and Gaynes supplies some of it. G. W. Bailey's severe Lieutenant Harris gives the recruits an authority figure to resist; Lassard is rather easier to like. Gaynes returned as Lassard across all seven films from 1984 to 1994. His willingness to look ridiculous helps explain the appeal, but our affection for him should not be mistaken for a recommendation of the whole series.
Television gave that warmth a more sustained use in Punky Brewster (1984–1988), with Gaynes playing Henry Warnimont opposite Soleil Moon Frye. The gruff but kind foster father allowed him to play the adult faced with children and disorder. His commitment to the situation, without winking at the material, matters more than the raised eyebrow.
He also played Serybryakov in Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), a dramatic supporting part beyond the familiar comedy. There is no need to apologise for the silliness to make room for that work: taking foolish people seriously was a useful skill in itself. Start with Tootsie; approach Police Academy only if broad, uneven comedy is already to your taste.
Biography
George Gaynes (1917–2016) was a Finnish-born Dutch-American actor and singer. He began his career in opera and on Broadway in the 1950s, appearing in productions including The Consul, Out of This World and Wonderful Town, before moving into television and film in the 1960s.
He is best known for his film role as John Van Horn in Tootsie (1982) and as Commandant Eric Lassard in the Police Academy series (1984–1994). On television he played Henry Warnimont in Punky Brewster (1984–1988) and appeared in series including The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and Hearts Afire.
Gaynes was married to actress Allyn Ann McLerie from 1953 until his death.
